Covid-19: TN records 4,965 fresh cases as Chennai hospital screens volunteers for Covaxin trials

SRM Medical College Hospital and Research Centre is the only Institute in Tamil Nadu given approval by ICMR to conduct human trials on Covaxin.
Health workers taking swab sample of a person at a kiosk in Madurai. (Photo | KK Sundar)
Health workers taking swab sample of a person at a kiosk in Madurai. (Photo | KK Sundar)

CHENNAI: As Tamil Nadu's Covid-19 cases tally is inching close to two lakh, the SRM Medical College Hospital and Research Centre in Chennai's outskirts has begun screening volunteers for human trials of Covaxin, the first indigenous Covid vaccine.

SRM Medical College Hospital and Research Centre is the only Institute in Tamil Nadu given approval by the Indian Council for Medical Research (ICMR) to conduct human trials on Covaxin.

The State reported 4,965 new Covid-19 positive cases and 75 deaths on Tuesday taking the tally 1,80,643 and toll 2,626. Chennai alone recorded 1,130 cases and 21 deaths.

Indian Council for Medical Research partnered with Bharat Biotech International Limited (BBIL) to fast track clinical trials of the indigenous Covid-19 vaccine (BBV152 Covid vaccine). With a few other centres that have been approved for human trials in India began human trials already, the SRM Institute has begun to screen volunteers to start administering Covaxin from Monday.

Speaking to Express, a source in the private hospital said, "We have received many calls and also emails from many volunteers who expressed their willingness to participate in the human trial of the first phase. We have selected some volunteers and begun screening them. Once we get all their test reports, we will begin to administer the Covaxin dose to them."

The source explained that only Covid-19 negative persons and healthy without any comorbidities in the between 18 to 55 years are eligible to take part in the trial. "Across the centres in India, the vaccine will be tested on 375 volunteers in Phase I trial. The SRM Institute might start with 40-50 volunteers," the source added.

The ICMR in its letter dated 2 July instructed the centres chosen for clinical trials to fast track all approvals related to the initiation of the clinical trial. All India Institute of Medical Science (AIIMS), Delhi, Nizam's Institute of Medical Science, Hyderabad and PGIMS University of Health Sciences, Rohtak were some of the clinical trial sites chosen by the ICMR.

The vaccine is derived from a strain of SARS-CoV-2 isolated by ICMR-National Institute of Virology, Pune.

Meanwhile, Chennai's neighbouring districts, Chengalpattu recorded 256 cases, Kancheepuram 262 and Tiruvallur 366 cases. Among the deceased six didn't have comorbidities, according to the media bulletin issued by the Directorate of Public Health.

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